Le Huy Gia Long, currently an 8th grader at Vietnam Australia School in Hanoi, achieved an overall band score of 8.5 in his first IELTS exam in early April 2025. Remarkably, he earned perfect scores in three skills: Listening, Speaking, and Reading.

“I was really happy and surprised when I received the results,” Long shared. “I took the test just to challenge myself, but I was hoping to score around 8.0.”

According to his mother, Phan Van Anh, Long had shown a strong interest in English-language songs and videos on YouTube as early as age 2 or 3. Since then, she has consistently exposed him to English content daily.

Entering primary school, Long began exploring a wide range of topics, from science and technology to politics, economics, society, and medicine. For any subject he became curious about, he would research in English. Over time, thinking and using the language became second nature.

To nurture his strengths, his mother enrolled him in international learning environments and allowed him to attend summer camps abroad each year. During the first two years of middle school, Long had opportunities to visit the U.S., France, the U.K., and Switzerland.

Long believes he was fortunate to have had such natural exposure to the language, which helped him find the IELTS test less challenging - especially the Listening, Speaking, and Reading sections.

For Listening, he found the content “quite practical.” His preparation involved watching interviews and videos on topics he was interested in, such as literature, math, and science - even watching movies without subtitles to build his ability to gather information and improve comprehension.

Regarding Speaking, Long emphasized the importance of fluency and grammatical accuracy. “The most common reasons for losing points are hesitations and grammar mistakes. You can overcome this by slowing down a bit,” he advised.

In Part 3 of the Speaking test, Long recommends treating the response like a mini-essay - with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Examples should be relatable and drawn from everyday life. For instance, when asked about a trustworthy person, Long chose his father as an example - someone both close and rich in personal meaning. This helped him deliver a natural and fluent response, earning a perfect score.

While many candidates now practice speaking with AI, Long finds it less effective. “It’s hard to maintain a long, engaging conversation, and the responses aren’t as natural as real human interaction,” he noted.

For Reading, Long believes success lies in mastering grammar and vocabulary. The section covers diverse topics, from social issues to culture and history. He found the most challenging task to be the “True, False, Not Given” questions.

Based on his experience, True answers are clearly stated in the passage; False answers usually contradict it, while Not Given applies when the information is either neutral, uncertain, or not mentioned.

Writing, however, was the area he found most difficult. Though he took an IELTS prep class at school, he also spent a lot of time practicing on his own. “I wasn’t used to the IELTS writing structure, which demands precision and a set format - you can’t be too creative or break the mold. That’s where I lost points,” Long admitted.

Still, he wasn’t overly concerned about the score, as he took the test simply to gauge his abilities.

Beyond English, Long also excels in Informatics, having participated in multiple talent contests in both district and city-level competitions in Hanoi.

At school, he’s known as an all-rounder and once won the laurel wreath in a mock version of Road to Mount Olympia - a quiz competition conducted entirely in English that covers a broad range of knowledge areas.

With an 8.5 overall IELTS score, Long has no immediate plans to retake the test. However, he hopes to challenge himself with the SAT in the near future, as part of his preparation for studying abroad.

Thuy Nga